I Am The Swarm

From the current situation, Difeck was beginning to think that perhaps the approach of the Koya Alliance was the correct one. Continuously yielding space to allow the Swarm to encroach, thereby buying time.

Once the civilizations of the middle and inner circles, or even the Ji race, intervened, the Swarm would be pushed back in no time. The lost territory could naturally be reclaimed, and the losses would only be some fixed assets.

But on their side, the Locke Mutual Aid Society, attempting to block the Swarm’s invasion, had just begun the war, and already, across two battlefields, the number of lost warships had exceeded ten million, with countless casualties among various races.

Most importantly, despite these heavy losses, no strategic objectives had been achieved. Now, the Swarm was directly attacking their home, and the future losses were still unknown. From any perspective, losing so much for the sake of pride didn’t seem worth it.

But there was no time for him to dwell on these thoughts. He had to make a decision immediately: continue the battle here or return to reinforce the LKDW262 Star System.

However, after careful consideration, he realized that he didn’t have many options.

In the LKDW262 Star System, there were still around 20 million warships. However, apart from a few thousand newly arrived reinforcements, the rest were largely incapable of participating in this operation due to the lack of warp drive.

Although, as defenders, the presence of warp drive didn’t make much difference. But let’s not forget, if a warship doesn’t even have a warp drive, how good can its other configurations be? Even though there were numerous fixed defense facilities within the star system, their builders, the Moto civilization, were a fringe, lesser-developed civilization.

The combination of lesser-developed warships and lesser-developed fixed defenses facing 50 million ferocious Swarm troops—whether they could hold out, or for how long, was a question.

Among the attacking coalition forces, the strongest first-tier units, composed of the top three most powerful fleets of the Locke Mutual Aid Society, had already lost 80% of their strength.

The second-tier rear forces had also suffered approximately 40% losses. As for the third-tier flanking forces, though they still appeared intact, it’s worth remembering that at the start of the battle, they had been routed by the Swarm forces, fleeing for over ten million kilometers with heavy casualties.

Under these circumstances, even if he led his forces back, how much could these remnants really contribute?

Therefore, faced with the call for reinforcements from LKDW262, Difeck found it difficult to make a decision. But as he was still pondering his options, a sudden change occurred on the battlefield.

The news of the rear’s call for reinforcements somehow leaked, causing the morale of the Moto civilization, which made up the bulk of the flanking forces, to plummet. As a newly interstellar civilization that had only entered the spacefaring era a few thousand years ago, they hadn’t fully shed their various attachments. The invasion of their homeworld made it impossible for them to remain calm.

A flood of requests to return and defend their home poured into the command center, but Difeck was in a tough spot. The two sides were now entangled, and even if he wanted to retreat, the Swarm wouldn’t allow it. If they forcibly withdrew, the coalition forces in the central front would suffer heavy losses.

Moreover, they would be pursued by the Swarm, and by the time they reached the LKDW262 Star System, it was uncertain how much of the coalition forces would remain.

Furthermore, outside LKDW262, there were 50 million fresh Swarm troops waiting. If they were intercepted, they would undoubtedly be surrounded, and the issue wouldn’t be about reinforcing anymore—it could very well be a matter of total annihilation.

The command center’s delayed response further exacerbated the Moto civilization’s frustration. They believed that the Troi coalition’s commander-in-chief was deliberately stalling for time. Under the influence of some agitators, a group of Moto warships finally broke away from the battle formation. Their sublight engines at full power, they quickly distanced themselves from the battlefield, and with a blur in space, the entire fleet entered warp speed and vanished into the void.

Following this example, more and more Moto warships began to leave the battlefield. Despite Difeck’s attempts to appeal to their reason, move them with emotion, and even threaten them, nothing could stop the Moto’s determination to return home.

Difeck’s own morale was also beginning to crumble. Although the Moto fleet was a major part of the flanking forces, their numbers were already greatly reduced due to heavy losses. Combined with their technological backwardness, their role in the current battle was limited. Even if they all left, if Difeck managed the situation well, the impact on the overall situation wouldn’t be too severe.

But now, their unauthorized departure had not only significantly affected the morale of the remaining forces but also undermined Difeck’s authority.

However, Difeck didn’t have many options. In his mind, the best course of action would be to make an example of the deserting ships by destroying them to set a precedent.

But in reality, for such an idea to be implemented, he would need to head to the infirmary, get a shot, and take a nap—because such things only happened in dreams.

The departure of the Moto fleet, combined with the plummeting morale, significantly reduced the pressure on the Swarm forces. The situation, which had been at a disadvantage, slowly began to turn around.

Seeing this, Difeck could only sigh. There was no point in thinking about anything else now; he had to focus on the immediate situation. Otherwise, forget about reinforcements—they wouldn’t even make it through the current crisis.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the sudden appearance of the Swarm forces had thrown the LKDW262 Star System into chaos. Some advocated for a full defense, others for an immediate retreat, and still others for a proactive attack.

Of course, ignoring the brainless suggestion of the last option, the debate mainly revolved around the first two positions. The Moto civilization, as the host of the star system, was the primary advocate for retreat and also demanded that the coalition fleet help evacuate civilians.

Population was the hope of a race. If a star system’s population was wiped out in a single battle, what good would victory be?

At the same time, some civilizations that wanted to preserve their own fleets supported the Moto’s proposal.

On the other hand, the majority of the civilizations advocating for defense were neighbors of the Moto civilization. They believed that if the Moto abandoned their defenses, they would have to take in a large number of Moto refugees. Moreover, once the Swarm regrouped, they would be the next targets.

Under these circumstances, they naturally hoped that the coalition forces would hold out on Moto territory for as long as possible. As for Moto casualties—when it came to non-allied races, who cared in such critical moments?

But as they were arguing, the Swarm wasn’t wasting any time. After a brief reorganization, swarms of Primordial-class units charged into the star system from multiple directions.

The outermost planetary base held out for less than an hour before being overwhelmed by the tide of Swarm.

The ongoing debate among the allied races was abruptly interrupted by this sudden attack. The Swarm’s proximity made everyone feel the imminent threat.

If they retreated now, their warships could still leave in an orderly manner, but evacuating the population would be extremely time-consuming and no longer feasible.

Thus, the Moto, who had initially advocated for retreat, quickly changed their stance and became staunch supporters of the defensive faction.

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